Wall Anchor

ABSTRACT

A device (H) to be mounted to a friable wall (W) comprises a body ( 10 ) and at least one main saber tooth ( 12 ) extending rearwardly from an upper portion of the body ( 10 ) and adapted to be driven into the wall (W) for securing the device (H) thereto. The main saber tooth ( 12 ) is arcuate and has a pointed rear free end ( 22 ), and is adapted to be arcuately driven into the wall (W). An arcuate and pointy secondary saber tooth ( 14 ) extends rearwardly from a lower portion of the body ( 10 ) for insertion into the wall (W) before the main saber tooth ( 12 ) is inserted therein. The main saber tooth ( 12 ) defines a lower enlarged, and typically flat, load-bearing surface ( 30 ) for bearing against material of the wall (W). The main saber tooth ( 12 ) includes an upper transversely curved surface ( 32 ). A hook member ( 20 ) is provided on a front part of the body ( 10 ) for suspending items therefrom once the device (H) has been mounted to the wall (W).

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of co-pending application Ser. No.10/548,112 filed on Feb. 16, 2006, which claims priority from PCTApplication No. PCT/CA2004/000329, filed on Mar. 4, 2004, which itselfclaims priority from Canadian Application No. 2,420,722, filed on Mar.4, 2003. The application is commonly assigned and incorporated byreference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to wall fixtures and, more particularly,to a wall anchor for use in different materials including friablematerials, e.g. gypsum.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are various wall anchors available on the market, includingplastic inserts which are hammered in a hole previously defined in awall, wherein a fastener, such as a screw, is then engaged in theplastic insert, causing it to expand such that the assembly of theinsert and the fastener is set firmly in the wall.

Toggle bolts also exist, wherein rotation of a bolt causes wings todeploy behind the wall and to ultimately abut the inside of the wallthereby firmly anchoring the bolt to the wall.

Both these types of anchors necessitate that a hole be previouslydrilled in the wall. On the other hand, there exists wall anchorsdefining a pointed cutting end and large threads, which are adapted to,in a single step, be rotatively driven in the wall thereby drillingtheir own hole in the wall with the large threads of the anchorcompacting the gypsum and becoming firmly set therein. These types ofanchors must be installed by way of a screwdriver and typically by apower driven screwdriver bit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a novel wallanchor of simple construction and simple installation.

Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided adevice for mounting to a substantially vertical support, typically tofriable walls, comprising a body adapted to be located on a visible sideof a substantially vertical support in which said device is to bemounted and at least one saber tooth extending rearwardly from said bodyand adapted to be driven into the substantially vertical support forsecuring said device thereto.

More particularly, said saber tooth is arcuate and is adapted to bearcuately driven into the substantially vertical support.

Specifically, said saber tooth extends rearwardly and downwardly from anupper portion of said body and is pointed at a rear free end thereof.

Typically, said saber tooth includes a lower enlarged load bearingsurface for bearing against material of the support, and moreparticularly said enlarged load bearing surface of said saber toothincludes a substantially flat portion.

Said saber tooth may define an upper transversally curved surface.

Furthermore, a secondary saber tooth extends rearwardly from a lowerportion of said body for insertion into the support before said sabertooth of said upper portion is inserted therein.

Typically, said, secondary saber tooth is arcuate and is pointed at arear free end thereof.

For example, a hook member is provided on a front part of said body forsuspending items therefrom once said device has been mounted to thevertical support.

Generally, said body defines a front striking surface locatedsubstantially opposite said saber tooth and adapted to be forcibly actedon: for inserting said saber tooth in the support.

Also in accordance with the present invention, there is provided amethod for suspending an item to a substantially vertical support,typically to friable walls, comprising the steps of: (a) providing awall mountable device having a body and at least one main saber toothextending rearwardly from said body; (b) positioning said main sabertooth against the support; and (c) exerting force on said body forinserting said main saber tooth into the support and thereby securingsaid device thereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, referencewill now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way ofillustration a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a wall mounted hook in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the wall mounted hook of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a left side elevational view of the wall mounted hook of FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the wall mounted hook of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the wall mounted hook of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the wall mounted hook of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a rear elevational view of the wall mounted hook of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a left side elevational view, partly in cross section, showinga first installation step of the wall mounted hook of FIG. 1 as thelatter is being mounted to a wall;

FIG. 9 is a left side elevational view, partly in cross section, showinga second installation step of the wall mounted hook, which follows thefirst step shown in FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is a left side elevational view, in cross section, showing thewall mounted hook of FIG. 1 in an installed position thereof in thewall, which follows the second step shown in FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 to 7 illustrate a one-piece wall mounted hook H in accordancewith the present invention, which can be made of various materials. Thehook H comprises a body 10 adapted to be visible when the hook H ismounted to a wall W (see FIGS. 8 to 10), and upper and lower saber teeth12 and 14, respectively, adapted to engage the wall W for securing thehook H thereto.

The body 10 includes a visible, typically decorative, front surface 16and a plane rear surface 18. The rear surface 18 is adapted to extendagainst a visible side V of the wall W once the hook H has been mountedthereto. The front surface 16 is provided, for instance, with a hookmember 20 from which an article, e.g. a picture frame, clothes, etc.,can be suspended.

The upper and lower saber teeth 12 and 14 are each curved downwardly andterminate rearwardly with respective pointed tips 22 and 24.

The hook H is easily installed as fallows. With reference to FIGS. 8 to10, the hook H is held with one's fingers F (see FIG. 8) and the body 10is pressed by hand against the visible side V of the wall W such thatthe lower saber tooth 14 pierces into the wall W (e.g. through the papersheet of a gypsum panel forming the wall and slightly through the powderportion thereof) and becomes lodged therein without simultaneouslydriving the upper saber tooth 12 into the wall W.

Once the lower saber tooth 14 is in the wall W and with a lower end 26of the body 10 abutting the wall W, an upper portion of the body 10,such as a striking surface generally located at a location indicated byreference numeral 28, is pressed by hand or possibly impacted with ahammer M, as illustrated in FIG. 9, towards the wall W such that itpivots generally about the lower end 26 with the upper saber tooth 12being acutely driven into the wall W thereby securely engaging the hookH to the wall W up to the installed position of the hook H illustratedin FIG. 10. The hammer M will generally have to be used in the case ofsubstantially big hooks H, if wood is encountered in the wall W (such asbehind the gypsum panel), and if the hook H is inserted directly into awood component.

A bottom surface 30 of the upper saber tooth 12 is enlarged and flatsuch as to provide a wide load bearing surface between the upper sabertooth 12 and the wall material (e.g. gypsum), thereby providingresistance to the hook H ripping downwards through the wall material,when a load is suspended from the hook member 20 thereof. A top surface32 of the upper saber tooth 12 is rounded to facilitate the insertion ofthe upper saber tooth 12 in the wall material.

The hook H can, for instance, be made of zinc so that it can bedie-casted.

In a variant (not shown) of the hook H, a conventional leveler (i.e. ahorizontally elongated and vertically oriented plate defining saw teethalong its lower edge and having elbowed wings at the longitudinal endsthereof that can be nailed to an article, e. g. picture, such that thepicture can be mounted to the wall by suspending the leveler attachedthereto from a fastener, e.g. a nail, previously secured to the wall) isprovided at each of its elbowed wings with a rearwardly extending uppersaber tooth. A V-shaped member that extends downwardly from thehorizontal plate or from the elbowed wings has a lower saber toothextending rearwardly therefrom. This variant can thus be secured to anarticle, i.e. a rear surface of a picture, by first pressingly engagingthe lower saber tooth in the article, followed by pressingly engagingthe upper saber teeth therein. In such a case, the upper and lower saberteeth replace the conventional nails that are inserted through holesdefined in the leveler's wings and into the rear of the picture to behung from the wall.

1. A device for mounting to a substantially vertical support, typicallyto friable walls, comprising a body adapted to be located on a visibleside of a substantially vertical support in which said device is to bemounted, and at least one rigid saber tooth extending rearwardly fromsaid body and being rigidly connected thereto, said saber tooth beingadapted to be driven into the substantially vertical support forsecuring said device thereto.
 2. A device as defined in claim 1, whereinsaid saber tooth is arcuate and is adapted to be arcuately driven intothe substantially vertical support.
 3. A device as defined in claim 1,wherein said saber tooth extends rearwardly and downwardly from an upperportion of said body.
 4. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein asecondary saber tooth extends rearwardly from a lower portion of saidbody for insertion into the support before said saber tooth of saidupper portion is inserted therein.
 5. A device as defined in claim 4,wherein said secondary saber tooth is arcuate and is pointed at a rearfree end thereof.
 6. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said sabertooth includes a lower enlarged load bearing surface for bearing againstmaterial of the support.
 7. A device as defined in claim 6, wherein saidenlarged load bearing surface of said saber tooth includes asubstantially flat portion.
 8. A device as defined in claim 1, whereinsaid saber tooth includes an upper transversally curved surface.
 9. Adevice as defined in claim 1, wherein a hook member is provided on afront part of said body for suspending items therefrom once said devicehas been mounted to the vertical support.
 10. A device as defined inclaim 1, wherein said body comprises a horizontally elongated andvertically oriented plate defining saw teeth along a lower edge thereofwith elbowed wings being provided at longitudinal ends thereof, one saidsaber tooth being provided at each of said elbowed wings and extendingrearwardly therefrom for insertion into the support.
 11. A device asdefined in claim 10, wherein said body further comprises a V-shapedmember extending downwardly from one of said horizontal plate and saidelbowed wings, a secondary saber tooth extending rearwardly from a lowersection of said V-shaped member.
 12. A device as defined in claim 1,wherein said body defines a front striking surface located substantiallyopposite said saber tooth and adapted to be forcibly acted on forinserting said saber tooth in the support.
 13. A method for suspendingan item to a substantially vertical support, typically to friable walls,comprising the steps of: (a) providing a wall mountable device having abody and at least one main saber tooth and a locating element extendingrearwardly from upper and lower portions of said body, respectively; (b)positioning said locating element against the support; and (c) exertingforce on said body for inserting said main saber tooth into the supportand thereby securing said device thereto.
 14. A method as defined inclaim 13, wherein said main saber tooth is arcuate and is arcuatelydriven in step (c) into the support.
 15. A method as defined in claim13, wherein said main saber tooth extends rearwardly and downwardly fromthe upper portion of said body and is pointed at a rear free endthereof.
 16. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein said locatingelement comprises a secondary saber tooth extending rearwardly from thelower portion of said body for insertion in step (b) into the supportand prior to inserting said main saber tooth in the support.
 17. Amethod as defined in claim 16, wherein said secondary saber tooth isarcuate and is pointed at a rear free end thereof.
 18. A method asdefined in claim 13, wherein said main saber tooth includes a lowerenlarged load bearing surface for bearing against material of thesupport.
 19. A method as defined in claim 18, wherein said enlarged loadbearing surface of said main saber tooth includes a substantially flatportion.
 20. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein said main sabertooth includes an upper transversally curved surface.
 21. A method asdefined in claim 13, wherein a hook member is provided on a front partof said body for suspending items therefrom once said device has beenmounted to the vertical support.
 22. A method as defined in claim 13,wherein said body comprises a horizontally elongated and verticallyoriented plate defining saw teeth along a lower edge thereof withelbowed wings being provided at longitudinal ends thereof, one said mainsaber tooth being provided at each of said elbowed wings and extendingrearwardly therefrom for insertion into the support.
 23. A method asdefined in claim 22, wherein said body further comprises a V-shapedmember extending downwardly from one of said horizontal plate and saidelbowed wings, a secondary saber tooth extending rearwardly from a lowersection of said V-shaped member.
 24. A method as defined in claim 13,wherein said body defines a front striking surface located substantiallyopposite said main saber tooth and adapted to be forcibly acted on instep (c) for inserting said main saber tooth in the support.
 25. Amethod as defined in claim 13, wherein the support is a wall.
 26. Amethod as defined in claim 25, wherein the wall is a friable wall.
 27. Amethod as defined in claim 26, wherein the friable wall is a gypsumwall.
 28. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the support is awooden structural component.
 29. A device as defined in claim 1, whereina front part of said body is provided with a member adapted forengagement with an article such that the article can be mounted to thevertical support via said device.
 30. A device as defined in claim 3,wherein said saber tooth is pointed at a rear free end thereof.
 31. Amethod as defined in claim 13, wherein said locating element provides apivot area when mounting the device to the vertical support in step (c).